the red box project

The Bridge have teamed up with The Red Box Project, an initiative that quietly ensures that no young woman misses out on her education because of her period.

In the last year, there has been growing awareness and concern about the expense of sanitary products. Research from Plan International estimates that 10% of girls are unable to afford sanitary wear. This forces young women and girls to potentially miss out on their education (or means that they have to make an equally difficult choice in order to access these basic products). Something that many of us take for granted has become a luxury item for many women and girls across the UK.

Inspired by these issues, Georgia from Better Bankside went searching for a local donation drop off point and struggled to find a place to do so in north Southwark. That's when she approached The Bridge and got the ball rolling.

Last week, we launched our "Red Box" – a collection point for sanitary products. The box is located in our reception, where you can drop off donations of pads, tampons and pants. When the red box is full, the contents will be distributed to young women and girls through schools across the Southwark and Lewisham Boroughs.

You can support the project by donating sanitary products or by raising awareness. The Bridge is one of many collection points, so find your local red box here.

We would like to thank you in advance for your support.

Where is the box?

The Bankside donation box is located at the ground floor reception of The Bridge (73-81 Southwark Street). Find and contact us here.

What donations are needed?

Every woman is different, so we'll be collecting a range of products for the young women and girls to choose from. At the moment, the Red Box Project are specifically looking for donations of:

Sanitary pads in a variety of strengths

Pants in a variety of sizes

(Many younger women feel more comfortable with sanitary pads, which is why they are currently more in demand, but we will accept any sanitary wear).